by Trevor Waddington, Principal, Truth Tree
This is the perfect guide of if you need marketing strategies to increase student enrollment. Whether you are new to your school marketing role or a seasoned pro, you should always be learning about how to do it better.
If your private school enrollment is hurting, this helpful marketing information will fill your classes. Our enrollment marketing steps to increase student enrollment are listed below, and we feel that it will strongly help with charter school marketing efforts, as educational marketing is our bread and butter here at Truth Tree.
Approximately 4.6 million students are enrolled in private schools, and a significant portion of these students are currently enrolled where they are due to enrollment marketing. This number is down from previous years’ for numerous reasons, even with the “Covid Bump.” No matter the cause, there are some private school marketing strategies you can use to improve your student enrollment. Marketing for private schools is an art and a science, and it’s what we’re all about. Education marketing takes a uniquely focused vision, and our expert team can help create this vision.
How To Market A Private School
Your private school marketing strategy is crucial for thriving during this period, with enrollment marketing strategies that consistently fill the seats of your classrooms. Parents are searching for a great school, and you can prove that’s yours with the right plan. Here are 9 secrets for increasing private school enrollment through education marketing.
1. Develop and Share School’s Brand
The private school’s brand is much more than a logo and a mascot. It’s what helps you stand out from the rest of the schools. It’s your message to parents and students about what this school is all about that comprises key points in your education marketing repertoire.
When performing Private School Marketing you need to define what you offer and communicate them openly. If you offer STEM, financial aid, unique classes, reputable clubs or sports teams, or other benefits, this is the time to share that information with the class. It can raise interest from parents searching for the best schools in their area. One of the first steps to increase private school student enrollment is to look from their perspective and understand what it is about your school in particular that warrants their attention. Marketing a private school isn’t just about impressing the parents, you have to entice the students to want an education from your school in particular.
2. Provide Strong Leadership
A private school can find success with the right leadership. You should look for staff whose vision is personal and visionary. People who are committed to providing a pleasant education experience that students will be proud of should be central figures in your educational marketing materials.
When your private school is viewed as the best around because of your leadership, you can expect interest and enrollment to grow. Private, independent and charter school marketing often centers around key staff at the school, and parents generally want the best for their children. Your leadership can have an impact on their decision. If this means that you have to make yourself the key figure in marketing for your private school, it gives you even more control over the messages being disseminated and the impressions given by your school.
One way you can build your school’s authority on having the best teachers is to create a directory of staff on your website with filled-out bios for each staff member. Let them write about their education, school experience, and any other expertise they may have. Showing that you have staff that stands out above other schools can show parents why they can trust your staff to give their child an exceptional education.
How To Improve School Enrollment
3. Set School Enrollment Goals
A crucial part of your private school marketing plan is to set some enrollment goals. This will help you focus on where you need to be and sustain momentum. When you’ve reached your goals, you’ll have something to celebrate, and if your marketing campaign for private schools fails, you’ll be able to see where things went wrong, and how it happened.
Enrollment goals can help you get from where you are to where you want to be. They help you figure out what you want and how to get there. Focus on your goal, and be open to private school marketing strategies to help you achieve them. Part of your private or charter school marketing plan should be to set this goal, so you have something to work toward and a cause for celebration when you hit the mark you set at the beginning.
4. Recruit Parents as Ambassadors
You can help save on costs by recruiting parents as ambassadors for the school. Adults with children currently enrolled can reach out to other families at church, work, and activities. Since their kids are students, they have the greatest word of mouth available.
You should utilize all the free resources you can access. By starting a parent ambassador program, you’ll encourage their efforts while improving enrollment. This is a private school marketing strategy you can easily start today. Not every instrument in your arsenal of marketing for private schools is a paid service, some of the best references you can have are parents that are delighted with how their child is being educated.
As parents can no longer leave reviews for schools on Google, it is even more critical to have parents spread a positive reputation via word of mouth.
5. Follow-Up with Enrolled and Interested Families
The current families that are enrolled at the private school should be the first you offer enrollment to. By continuing to recruit the same students, you’ll continue to fill those seats. It also looks good to those considering your private school over another choice. Marketing a private school is usually focused on filling seats, so if you have families that are already interested in another year with your organization, let them have it. More often than not, that consideration will build long-term goodwill with the family in question.
When parents express interest on social media, website, or in-person, you should follow up quickly. They’ll view you as professional, and enjoy the fact that you communicate effectively. This private school marketing strategy will help your enrollment grow, and bolsters your credibility as an effective communicator.
Enrollment Marketing and Private School Marketing Strategies
6. Utilize Word of Mouth for Private School Marketing
Word of mouth can make or break your school’s image. According to research, 77% of consumers trust referrals from people they know. Other interested parents will read online reviews. Marketing a private school means making the best of both of these worlds, doing your best to create positive word of mouth while maintaining a high-quality digital presence to cover the needs of both groups.
Whether or not you recruit parent ambassadors, you can expect enrolled families to talk about their experience. This is why it’s helpful for you to provide strong leadership and communicate effectively. By improving your school, you can improve word of mouth, and word of mouth is always valuable in private or charter school marketing.
7. Maintain School Website with Resources
It seems like every business and school has a website. If you don’t have one already, you’ll need to build and maintain one. Some sites can help you create one, or you can hire an expert to do it. Marketing a private school without a website is more difficult than ever, as even the most technologically-deprived school has a website now, even if it’s an older one. The better your site is, the better you can expect the leads to be, and the more credibility you’ll receive in the eyes of potential families.
When creating and maintaining a website, it’s important to update regularly and offer resources online. Broken links and pages can deter a parent from enrolling their child. You can increase your enrollment by offering applications and information online. Your private or charter school website should be a constant net positive, creating positive impressions with your charter school marketing materials and continually updated news for parents to read.
8. Create Leads with Digital Marketing Campaigns
You can create new leads through digital marketing campaigns for schools. This includes creating effective call-to-actions, landing pages, pay-per-click (PPC) strategies, and search engine optimization (SEO). When done right, social media and other sites can also help increase interest.
You can’t be afraid to evolve and update your school to cater to the market. You’ll reach the right families and find quality in your enrollments. In this day and age, a proper digital marketing campaign is a key private school marketing hack. Charter and independent school marketing is about taking advantage of opportunities where you can find them, and a properly created digital marketing campaign for private schools will generate many, many opportunities.
Digital Marketing For Private Schools
9. Hire a Professional
Hiring a professional digital marketing service for private schools can help you get on the right track and stay on it. When you’re not sure how to do something, you should leave it to an expert. This will ensure your marketing is done correctly and returns an investment. Why bother marketing a private school personally when you can outsource it to someone who does nothing but private school marketing? Our enrollment marketing programs are designed for maximum impact, letting the unique value of your school shine through with every message.
Here, at Truth Tree, we’re all about private, independent, and charter school marketing, and we want to help you reach your goals and improve your school’s standing. Our private school enrollment specialist team helps with research, development, execution, deliverables, and more. You can review our services online.
Whether you are looking for assistance with Google Ads, Social Ads, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), or Email Marketing, Truth Tree’s expert team is here to help!
It’s Time to Educate Parents About Your School
Now that you’ve learned these 9 secrets for increasing private school enrollment, it’s time to begin your private school marketing plan. Parents need to know what you can offer and why they should pay your school over other options. You can use this as a guide to improve your enrollment numbers and generate more revenue. In creating a strategy for your charter or private school marketing, each and every one of these steps to increase student enrollment can be the cornerstone that generates new leads for your school. We have years of experience in education marketing for independent schools, and we enjoy sharing our tips and tricks that will help your school gain an advantage over the competition.
If you’re ready for award-winning enrollment marketing strategies and expert solutions for your school, now is a great time to contact Truth Tree.
